Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-06-05 i Cape Argus

Cape Town’s very own Hogwarts, the College of Magic, stands as a beacon of wonder and inspiration. Since its inception in 1980, this non-profit community youth development organisation has used the art of magic to uplift, educate, and offer hope to the youth of Cape Town. It aims to provide a sanctuary for children to explore and embrace their true selves, irrespective of their backgrounds. “More than just a school, the College of Magic is a realm where contemporary education intertwines with creativity and curiosity. Each child is seen as a unique individual brimming with potential.” The staff are committed to fostering these attributes, helping every youngster uncover and cultivate their talents. Students have showcased their skills from the USA to Austria and China to Italy. They have also been…

PETROL and diesel price cuts that came into effect at midnight were bigger than initially expected. The price of both grades of petrol dropped by R1.24 a litre while the cost of diesel fell by between R1.08 (50ppm) and R1.18 (500ppm). This means that 95 Unleaded will now cost you R23.46 at the coast and R24.25 in the inland regions where 93 Unleaded petrol will retail for R23.91. A 30-litre tank of petrol, assuming you drive a smaller car, will now be R37.20 cheaper than it was last month, while a 50-litre refuel in a medium vehicle will save you R62. The wholesale price of 50ppm diesel will now be set at R20.40 at the coast and R21.16 inland, keeping in mind that the unregulated retail prices will be more…

THE cellphone records of the bodyguards of slain steroid king Brian Wainstein came under scrutiny in the Western Cape High Court yesterday at the ongoing trial of murder-accused Mark Lifman and Jerome “Donkie” Booysen. After a week-long delay, Warrant Officer Mias Engelbrecht returned to court under cross-examination by defence teams as hundreds of files were scrutinised yesterday. This follows the testimony of a former bodyguard of Wainstein, who revealed that he, along with his brother, who may not be named, handed over their cellphones to the Hawks during their arrest. It is believed the cellphone files will provide evidence on what led up to the 2019 murder. The bodyguard has already told the court how he was introduced to Wainstein and stationed at his Constantia home to help keep him…

In an attempt to evade arrest, a taxi driver risked his life when he jumped into a canal amid heavy rainfall yesterday and was reportedly swept away. He has not been found by law enforcement. The unidentified man was driving a Toyota Quantum when he threw himself into the fast-moving water near the N2 off-ramp on Jakes Gerwel Drive. According to safety and security mayco member, JP Smith, traffic officers were patrolling when they stopped the man. “The driver jumped out of the taxi with officers chasing, but jumped into the river alongside the road, in an attempt to evade custody. “Fire and Rescue arrived on scene and the search area was expanded, with members searching the banks further downstream, for any sign of activity. No sign of the taxi…

FUNDZA Literacy Trust is delighted to welcome Chase Rhys (they/them) as our new head of content. Rhys, an acclaimed novelist from Cape Town, is celebrated for their innovative use of non-standardised languages like Kaaps or Afrikaaps in their writing. Their appointment marks a significant step forward in Fundza’s ongoing mission to promote multilingualism. We are thrilled to have Chase on board. The extensive background as a celebrated author, columnist, and, recently, an associate professor at Columbia University, US, makes them an invaluable addition to Fundza. Chase’s unique perspective and commitment to telling authentic stories aligns with our goals. We are excited to see how they will help transform our content and enhance our #ownstories narrative. This strategic focus will remain a critical undertaking as the platform continues to advance its…

PEARL Thusi’s haircare brand, Black Pearl, which launched with great excitement in 2015, now faces a precarious future due to financial difficulties with her business partner, AfroBotanics. Moving Tactics Digital Media has initiated proceedings in the Johannesburg High Court to liquidate Afro- Botanics, citing unpaid advertising fees totalling R575 000. Moving Tactics Digital Media is a company that specialises in providing digital media solutions, including in-store digital advertising, digital signage and interactive media displays. The trouble began when Digital Media provided advertising services for AfroBotanics, promoting their products on screens in Clicks stores across South Africa from July to November 2022. Despite these services, it’s alleged AfroBotanics, led by director Ntombenhle Khathwane, failed to pay the agreed amount. The year the natural hair product was launched, Khathwane said: “AfroBotanics is…

A GUNMAN who killed a dog while being chased by residents in Bellville South after opening fire at the weekend is set to appear in court soon. The arrest of the 21-year-old, who was injured in a shoot-out on Friday night, followed the chase by the community after he allegedly opened fire on the occupants of a vehicle in Durham Street. According to a statement by the Bellville South Community Police Forum (CPF), the gunman was reportedly chased to the Kasselsvlei SPAR complex where he was confronted. Bellville South CPF spokesperson, David Cecil, said the owner of the dog arrived on the scene and was saddened when the animal was found to have been struck in the upper body. “From what we understand, it is a mixed-breed dog and the…

IFP slams Indians as the DA gets their votes An IFP councillor in Phoenix north of Durban has lashed out at the Indian community for complaining to him about service delivery but voting for other parties in the elections last week. In a hard-hitting letter he penned to the suburb’s residents on Monday, IFP councillor Jonathan Annipen said he was disappointed that after the IFP and he had put in a lot of work helping the Indian community, the hard work was not reflected in the vote. “We have concluded the much-anticipated 2024 national and provincial elections and what a process this has been. “A year ago no one could have predicted that the political landscape of this nation would slide in the direction that it has. “The advent of…

JUST a week after the general elections, Table View residents will be heading back to the voting polls amid the resignation of a DA ward councillor. The resignation of Joy Solomon was revealed just two months prior to the national election, leaving a vacancy in ward 113. The section of the suburb, referred to as “old Table View”, has been a stronghold for the DA for many years. According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) website, it will now be contested by the DA, ANC, EFF and Africa Restoration Alliance (ARA) in a by-election on June 18 and 19. In a social media post, Solomon said that after serving as a ward councillor for 13 years, she opted to retire. “I have been a dedicated and committed councillor…

I am not a purveyor of political opinion or an analyst of political trends, except where socio-political trends cause me discomfort. This is why I often fall back on referential frames which help my explications or bolster the truth when that precious commodity is under threat. Literature is often the source of epigrams (clever sayings that defuse over-thinking) or solipsism (attitudes which remain belligerent even in the face of evidence of other lines of thought). This introduction seeks a foothold on what happened in the South African nation’s election arena mere days ago. In a novel published in 2017, The Golden House, Salmon Rushdie finds traction in the epigrammatic “Everything is a strategy. This is the wisdom of the spider. Everything is food. This is the wisdom of the shark.”…

After 30 years of democracy under the ANC and its alliance partners, life in our country is more difficult than it has ever been before. South Africans have been tolerant of what the country has become. It is surprising how the leaders of the ANC alliance assume that all of us must subscribe to their ideologies, which have yielded no positive results in the past 30 years. No one can boast of any achievement except that we must follow them blindly, without any questions, using the race card. Take for instance what is happening right now. After the elections, it turns out that the ANC, at just above 40% has lost its majority, and with all the parties unable to form a government, the only option available is to partner…

Stellenbosch FC striker Iqraam Rayners is eager to justify his inclusion in Bafana Bafana’s squad as they step up their preparations for two World Cup qualifying matches. The South African senior men’s national team face powerhouses Nigeria away from home in Uyo on Friday before returning home to host Zimbabwe at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday next week. Rayners, who has had his best season in the top flight for Stellies, is one of two traditional centre-forwards picked by head coach Hugo Broos in the final 23-man squad for these vital matches with Burnley’s Lyle Forster also returning. The 28-year-old sharpshooter scored 15 goals and recorded two assists for his club in the DStv Premiership in the recently concluded season and was pipped to the Golden Boot…

Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has backed skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as the opening pair for men in blue’s opening T20 World Cup clash against Ireland today. Gavaskar named his playing XI for India’s opening encounter in the T20 showpiece at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Monday. Interestingly, the veteran batter dropped pacer Arshdeep Singh from his final 11 and backed all-rounder Shivam Dube to strengthen the batting department. “I don’t really like selecting teams because you can never satisfy everybody. There will always be somebody’s favourite player who’s not being picked but here is my effort to try and pick the 11 for the game against Ireland. Sharma and Kohli to open the batting along with Yashasvi Jaiswal at three, Suryakumar Yadav at…

THE Insurance Crime Bureau (ICB) has warned about a concerning trend involving criminals directly targeting insurance companies. In the new modus operandi, perpetrators set out to source information through call centres, by impersonating policy holders and requesting copies of their policy schedules and claims history. “They would contact insurance companies’ call centres and pose as legitimate policy holders. They request sensitive documents such as Policy Schedules and Claims History under the guise of routine updates, which is not unusual, especially when consumers are shopping around for better premiums,” the ICB explained. “In the wrong hands, this information could be used to perpetrate various criminal acts, including identity theft, fraudulent insurance claims, and financial scams. “Policy schedules contain personal information, including the name of the insured, their ID, residential address, policy…

THE Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has dismissed oil giant Shell’s appeal on Wild Coast exploration rights, but allowed a renewal application process, raising concerns over community consultation and environmental rights. The appeal dismissal impacts Shell, Impact Africa, and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, as it upholds the Makhanda High Court’s judgment that set aside Shell’s exploration right and subsequent renewals for oil and gas exploration off the Wild Coast of South Africa. The high court found the exploration rights were granted unlawfully due to the failure to notify and consult affected communities. This oversight ignored the communities’ rights to food and livelihoods from the ocean and their spiritual and cultural rights. Additionally, the court noted the minister’s failure to comply with the Integrated Coastal Management Act. The…

Once the voting and negotiations are completed, or perhaps as the negotiations are happening, we must remember why. It is not just politics for the sake of politics or just to boast of what a brilliant democracy we have on this massive continent. In the end, this is about Innocent Masuku. It is about talented people who deserve a place to thrive in this country. It’s about the untalented who deserve a simple right to a living too. It’s about just living life where politics are no longer a way for people to think “that’s how to make money”. It’s about what Dali Tambo said about his dad, that politics, like being a reverend, must be a calling – not something to make one rich. This is possible when the…

This week, the country emerged from a bruising elections campaign where the governing party was made to eat humble pie after achieving a meagre 40% share of the electorate. Without a clear mandate and with a trust deficit indicating that the ANC of today no longer represents the aspirations of the more than 62 million South Africans, the writing is on the wall for President Cyril Ramaphosa and his administration. For more than five years, Ramaphosa has presided over a failing administration that has not delivered anything tangible. The latest figures have indicated that South Africa will spend more than R21 billion on social grants in the 2024/25 financial year. This is equivalent to 3.6% of the gross domestic product. Treasury projections estimate that the number of people receiving grants…

Iran-backed Shia armed groups in Iraq have ramped up rocket and missile attacks on Israel in recent weeks, raising concerns in Washington and among some Iranian allies of potential Israeli retaliation and regional escalation should they draw blood. Although the attacks are not seen by Western officials and Israeli experts as posing the same level of threat to Israel as point-blank strikes by Hamas and Hezbollah, they have increased in number and sophistication. At least two have hit their targets and many have had to be shot down by US and Israeli defences. New weaponry such as cruise missiles have been regularly used since last month and are harder for air defences to destroy. “Overall, the intensity and the types of weapons used have steeply escalated,” said Mike Knights, a…